Paxton Criminal Trial Lingers (again).

 From the TexasTribune:

Texas AG Ken Paxton's criminal case likely to face further delays as attorneys revive fights over venue, prosecutor pay

 Read the article by the Tribune's Emma Platoff.

Revolving door spins at Abbott's office

Asher Price reports at the Austin American-Statesman on how a top Abbott aide became one of Texas' highest paid lobbyists. 

Read Asher's article at the Statesman. 

Influence Texas app updatedfor 86th Legislative Session

Free wep app tracks money and bills...

Influence Texas OS Version 2 is now available.  The open source app uses TPJ data to track who gave how much to Texas lawmakers.  The app also allows users to track the bills those lawmakers are sponsoring.

Users can now track top contributors from the most recent election cycle and share the info on social media.  Influence Texas OS provides easy access to bills that each lawmaker has sponsored , allowing users to independently assess financial influence in the legislative process.

Access the app and learn more at Influence Texas.

TPJ Complaint Leads to $35,000 Fine for Ted Cruz

Following formal complaints from TPJ and the Campaign Legal Center the Federal Campaign Commission (FEC) fined the Cruz campaign $35,000 for failure to disclose over $1 million in loans from Citibank and Goldman Sachs during his 2012 senate campaign.

Read the story at the New York Times. 
TPJ filed its complaint with the FEC in January 2016.  

Texas 'tort dodgers' group supporting bill to muffle the speech of business critics.

Bill on Frivolous Lawsuits Draws an Unlikely Ally
Austin American-Statesman, by Sean Walsh.

The mission of Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a powerful tort reform group that donates millions of dollars to Republicans, is to make the state more business-friendly by promoting legislation that cracks down on frivolous lawsuits.

Read the article at the Statesman.

Governor Abbott Never Stops Fundraising

The Associated Press' Paul Weber reports that Governor Greg Abbott has taken in $120 million in campaign cash, more than any governor in U.S. history.

Read the complete story at the AP. 

Tribune Digs Into Bonnen Cash Windfall

Jay Root and colleagues at the Texas Tribune take a deep look into newly elected Speaker Dennis Bonnen's rapidly expanding warchest.


Read the story at the TexasTribune.

New app lets users follow Texas campaign money and votes

Influence Texas and Texans for Public Justice have released Influence TX OS, an open source app providing campaign finance and voting records of Texas state politicians, enabling users to track the influence of money in politics.

Users will be able to track top contributors and donations from the most recent election cycle. A future version of the app, Influence Texas PRO, will enable users to source donations by industry and match those donations to legislation across multiple election cycles.

Read the full media release re: Influence TX OS.
Access the new Influence TX OS at app.influencetx.com.

Report Tracks Austin Campaign Money

FAULT LINES
Campaign Contributions Expose Austin's Divide

Austin's city elections were dominated by residents of the three most affluent and least racially diverse city council districts.  Three districts delivered 68 percent of all the money raised from Austin residents.  In contrast, low-income minority district residents contributed just four percent of Austin campaign cash.

Read the FAULT LINES report. 

Houston Chronicle:Campaign Contributions and the Big Dogs

Editorial on the need for Texas to take action on campaign finance reform.

"In our vast state of 30 million, there are only around 30 people who truly control the purse strings in Texas politics."

Read the Houston Chronicle editorial.